biography
who is marc?
Marc T. Gaspard Bolin, a teacher-performer-scholar, has enjoyed a nearly three-decade-long career as a professional musician, arranger, and educator. He currently serves as a Lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has recently joined the faculty at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) as an Adjunct Professor. At UCLA, Marc teaches Jazz in American Culture in the Department of Ethnomusicology and Jazz and Social Justice in the Department of African American Studies. In his new role at CPP, he is excited to lead the Tuba/Euphonium Studio and teach courses such as Ethnomusicology: History, Theory, and Methods, and World of Music in the Music Department.
In 2022, Marc joined the speaking faculty at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's UPBEAT LIVE Series, where he presents pre-concert talks and facilitates Q&A sessions with featured artists. He is also a proud Eastman Winds, Denis Wick, and HornFX Recording and Performing artist.
Performer
Marc's performing experience ranges across the entire spectrum of entertainment industries and platforms: studio recordings, soundtrack recordings, live concerts, television appearances, radio jockeying and on-air guesting, features in audio recordings and music videos across multiple streaming services, such as YouTube and Spotify, and technical advising for films. Marc has worked with some of the music industry's most exceptional entertainers, such as Christina Aguilera, Big Sean, the Black Eyed Peas, Aloe Blacc, Kenny Burrell, Neil Diamond, Evanescence, Kamasi Washington, B.B. King, John Legend, Mötley Crüe, Kanye West, and Stevie Wonder, among others.
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As a performing artist for Denis Wick and Andreas Eastman, Marc performs on Wick mouthpieces and mutes and plays Eastman sousaphones and tubas exclusively.
As a Horn-FX artist, he believes in creating a sound that is true to the tuba, while giving the presence of an electric bass. Today’s audience has come to expect a bass sound that is as much felt as it is heard. As such, he utilizes electronic effects to augment many live performances. Marc has achieved this sound ideal using a minimal pedal rig and powered speaker cabinets; a combination that enhances the natural sound of the tuba (or sousaphone), rather than change it.
arranger
Marc's arranging experience includes commissions for three-part horn section, big band, wind ensemble, and orchestral formats in a variety of styles, from "pop" to rock, to R&B, to salsa, and jazz. Most recently, he received a commission from the Lexington Philharmonic Society to produce a 15-minute suite of music from Duke Ellington's unfinished opera Queenie Pie, which was completed in 2008 for the Oakland Opera Theater. The full opera was premiered in 2008 by OOT and went on to be performed by the Butler School of Music Opera Program at the University of Texas, Austin (2009), the Long Beach Opera (2014), and the Chicago Opera Theater (2014).
Marc's dissertation, "The Second Line: A (Re)Conceptualization of the New Orleans Brass Band Tradition,"focuses on the dynamic relationships between music and religion and how jazz culture—and its practitioners—are represented in the canon. Marc employs theoretical and methodological approaches that demonstrate his commitment to increasing and supporting diversity in jazz scholarship.
scholar
Marc holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. His work as an ethnomusicologist is grounded in jazz practice and deeply informed by collaborators. Recently, Marc’s article "Congo Square and the Second Line: Their Relevance to Shifting Narratives about Jazz History" has been published in the Journal of Jazz Studies (Vol. 15, No. 1). This piece explores the rich tapestry of New Orleans' musical heritage, focusing on Congo Square, Mardi Gras Indian influences, and the continuity of brass band traditions. It challenges conventional jazz narratives and advocates for a more inclusive understanding of jazz history.
Read it now in the latest open-access issue:
